Tuesday, January 26, 2010

January and Winter Fun

Wow! What a wild and crazy month it's been! With two boys in hockey now it seems like we are traveling all the time! This last weekend we got to stay home which was a good thing because we had a special visit from Matt's dad who came all the way from Oregon to watch the Besh Cup Ski Races. Besh Cup is a qualifying race for the Junior Olympics so everybody who is anybody was here! Our nieces Heather and Megan came down from Fairbanks with their dad, Dave. Our nephew, Michael was here from Anchorage to compete as well. Everyone did really well in their division. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny with lots of snow.


After we made our appearance at the races, the kids and I headed another 100 yards up Ohlson Mountain for Extreme Tubing! Maya wasn't supposed to go because you have to be at least 6 years old. I was pulling her around on in the inner tube trying to keep her occupied when the owner gave me permission to sneak a ride down the slope with her on my lap. I had to clench my teeth to keep from screaming all the way down. The first time down is always such a thrill, my stomach gets butterflies and I am convinced the inner tube is going to lift off the ground! Maya had a great time and begged to go again! We played in the snack shack for a while and had hot chocolate and gummy bears. We snuck in 2 more trips down the mountain holding onto the boys' inner tubes on a new trail that whips around and ends at the bottom of the tow rope by the other slides.


We also managed to squeeze in a swimming birthday party for Maya two weeks ago. Her friends from both preschools came. Although Zachary and Weston were out of town, her new friend Matthew came. Maya and Matthew met at Long Term Care where Matthew's grandmother lives and Maya's Grandmother does volunteer work. The two of them probably bring a lot of energy to the folks at LTC! After a good swim they shared cake and ice cream. Then Maya was showered with the customary gifts for a 4 year old girl with a wide range of interests: dolls, fairies, horses, dress ups, and of course, dinosaurs!

The big groovy gong on the ski trails on Ohlson Mountain.


Maya at Extreme Tubing.

Mommy's favorite part, the slow relaxing tow rope ride back up.


The four traditional trails are on the left, the new alternative one is on the right.



Riley and Chris on a double.


Here's all of us holding onto each other's tubes for a triple dip!




Saturday, January 9, 2010

Chris' hockey debut


I've been resisting blogging about Chris' hockey debut, because I feel like a bad mom. Maya turned 4 on the second. We are having her birthday party tomorrow. Partly because Matt was on call, but mostly because Chris had two games last Saturday, and two games today. I am his manager. I scheduled the games. But I didn't have that many choices. You see the dilemma I'm in? Maya has had wonderful experiences the past week. But her best friends, Zachary and Weston, left for a family vacation today, so they will miss her birthday party. I felt just awful when I found out. Tomorrow she will have a wonderful time swimming with a bunch of other friends, but not her very best friends.


But I'm getting way behind on my blogging. So here goes...Last Saturday Chris played his first two games. The first game he was the goalie. He saved 15 out of 18 shots on goal! They lost 3-2. His second game he played on offense. He scored his first goal a minute and 13 seconds into the game. He scored again 5 minutes later. He got a third goal half way into the second period. A hat trick his first game out of the goal! They still lost 5-3.


Today he played goalie in the first game. He saved 4 out of 5 shots on goal. We won 5 to 1! The second game he played offense again. He scored 1 goal. We won 3-2. All the kids are improving so fast! It's so much fun to watch them play at this level.


I keep thinking about that joke Sarah Palin made famous. What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? She says lipstick. I say a lot. Most hockey moms in Homer don't wear lipstick. In fact, most hockey moms in Homer are also hockey players, and coaches, and managers. I am in the minority. I only manage. Most hockey moms also run the PTA, help with Scouting and teach Sunday School. A few weeks ago while plunging a toilet at the hockey rink I thought to myself: I wonder if Sarah Palin ever had to plunge a toilet at the hockey rink? And another thing, pitbulls never have to yell: "No more hockey in the house!".